Microsoft Test Engineer Dilnesahu Nukuro Credits UDC for His Career Foundation

UDC alum and Microsoft Test Engineer Dilnesahu Nukuro.

After visiting his sister in Maryland, Ethiopian-born Dilnesahu Nukuro decided to stay in the United States to complete his last year of high school and attend the University of the District of Columbia.

“I was searching for a University in the DC area, and one of my friends from Ethiopia was going to UDC,” Nukuro said. “It was very diverse, and everyone is welcome.”

A 2018 graduate in Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering, Nukuro conducted research alongside UDC professors and participated in an internship at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Gaithersburg, Maryland, during his time at UDC. He proudly shares that he took full advantage of what the University offers to prepare him for a career after graduation.

“I was everywhere. I did tutorials. I was a research assistant with different professors, and I did a lot of projects and presentations and competed with other universities,” Nukuro said. “I was also a teaching assistant.”

While at UDC, Nukuro was not only a dedicated student but also involved in extracurricular activities.

He participated in the STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) Program as a researcher, where he explored cutting-edge projects that merged technology with the arts for creative and practical applications. His contributions to the program demonstrated his ability to think outside the box and apply engineering principles to multidisciplinary projects.

As a teaching assistant, he shared his knowledge and passion for electrical and computer engineering with fellow students. Nukuro supported his peers in their academic pursuits and earned a reputation as a helpful and approachable mentor.

One of Nukuro’s proudest accomplishments during his time at UDC was the publication of two engineering papers – “The Design and Implementation of an Intelligent Letter Box,” which was co-authored with Sasan Haghani, then an electrical engineering professor at UDC, and “The Importance of Assessment of Vulnerability for Improving the Robustness of a Computer Network,” which was co-authored with UDC Professor Paul Cotae.
The papers were published in the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) peer publications.

Nukuro is quick to point out that much of his success at UDC was due to support from his family and the faculty and staff, specifically his advisor, Dr. Haghani; Dr. Esther, department chair and professor of electrical engineering; Dr. Paul Cotae, professor of electrical engineering; as well as Kate Klein, professor of engineering.

Shortly after completing his studies at UDC, Nukuro worked at Intel as a test engineer for two years in Portland, Oregon. He was responsible for testing completed computer processors and conducting various function tests to ensure their quality and performance met the highest standards.

His biggest contribution is testing new products before they are used by customers to ensure they are ready to be used by the public.

His accomplishments caught the attention of Microsoft, and he was offered an opportunity to join their team as a Test Engineer in Portland. In his new role, Nukuro’s responsibilities expanded to include utilizing software to analyze its functional properties; designing manual and automated test procedures to evaluate each software product thoroughly; and building, coding, and implementing software-evaluation test programs.

With an in-depth understanding of testing protocols, he ran test programs to ensure the accuracy and effectiveness of each software evaluation. His dedication to excellence extended to optimizing software testing systems for maximum performance and streamlining the testing process for increased proficiency.

“I love my work,” Nukuro said. “The people are great and very helpful. UDC prepared me well. Engineering is all about hands-on experience.”

Nukuro plays a crucial role in finalizing and documenting testing procedures. His documentation served as a comprehensive reference for his Microsoft team and contributed to the overall improvement of the software development and testing processes within the company.

When he isn’t working, Nukuro sings in his church’s choir and travels across the country as a solo gospel artist to raise money for an orphanage in Ethiopia. He released his first album last year under his full name–Dilnesahu Temesgen Nukuro.

“I believe it’s important to be a solution to help people,” he said. “It’s about making people happy and being there for people. I try to follow in the steps of my role model, Jesus Christ.”